/world sport
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Sweden's Carolina Kluft has decided against defending her heptathlon title at the Beijing Olympics later this year.
Kluft has decided against going for heptathlon gold in Beijing.
Kluft, a highly popular figure in the world of track and field, instead plans to concentrate on the long jump and triple jump at this summer's Games.
The 25-year-old has dominated the multi-event discipline and lifted ever major title since winning gold at the world championships in 2003.
But she picked up a hamstring injury at an indoor meeting in Sweden last month and missed the world indoor championships in Valencia.
Swedish Athletics Federation spokesman Fredrik Trahn said that Kluft had lost motivation for the demanding seven-event heptathlon.
"She has no competitions lined up in the foreseeable future. Now she will concentrate on the long jump and triple jumps," said Trahn.
"She has lost 100 per cent focus and spirit for the event, but I am sure she will return to it when getting her motivation back."
The 25-year-old, who got married in Scotland just before Christmas last year, was expected to kickstart her summer season at Gotzis in Austria at the end of May.
She achieved her highest score of 7,032 points in winning a record third world title in Osaka last year and is second behind the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the all-time list.
Her absence in Beijing will leave the field clear for a number of athletes to battle for gold, including Ukrainian Lyudmila Blonska, who took silver in Osaka, British pair Kelly Southerton and Jessica Ennis and old rival Eunice Barber of France.
Meanwhile Trahn said that Kluft may return in the future:
"Carolina hasn't said she has quit the heptathlon for good and may return at some time in the future," he added. E-mail to a friend 
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